during this half a year

"Classmate Wang, thanks for the concern. Please don't worry, I'm fine now." 

Wang Lei stood in place as the girl began to jog back to the empty street. They managed to meet since they were from the same village community and the park was usually the place where youths gather to sightsee, play sports, or simply to sit at the painted cement tables to chat. 

His expression turned solemn as he recalled the troubled and frustrated look she sported while splashing water on her face. Despite being slow at times, he was not the kind who would ignore distressed acquaintances.

The boy pressed his lips into a thin line, then pulled up his phone and asked online anonymously. 'What to do when your crush is sad?'

…

Since it was vacation, students mostly eat, drink, and play all day, as if they were celebrating being liberated from school. Perhaps, they were also like that given that they only have two months to enjoy before going back to school.